The Matchcover Storyteller

(Click on each pic for a richer view)

First off, you’ll be near Mars, not actually in it.   Some say we’re going to Pittsburgh  —  close, but the heart of Steeltown itself is 20-30 minutes away.

At issue here is the 2025 annual convention of The Rathkamp Matchcover Society, July 27th to August 1sr at the Cranberry Township Doubletree Hotel!

I have no idea who leaves the hotel to do what, but holding RMS conventions in such varied locals year after year does let many of you get out to discoverAmerica.  And the Pittsburgh region is so rich in attractions of every type. You golfers might want to tackle Cranberry Highlands, a daily fee par-70 municipal golf course, just minutes north of our hotel and a highly rated in Pennsylvania and an Audubon Sanctuary as well!

In nearby Mars, well, yes, there IS a flying saucer!  It’s right downtown in the Town Square, made from a couple of oil tanks and weighing in at around 3,000 pounds  —  also a photo op for sure.  It’s also just steps from the Mars Brew House, but the brew is coffee, not beer…..I’m just sayin’.

A half-hour north up I-79 takes you to McConnell Mill State Park, just one of the prettiest and most relaxing spots in the region…an old mill, a babbling brook in a sun-dappled valley, it’s a personal favorite of mine.   I’ll be stopping there on my way down to Mars!

Let’s move to sports:  The Pittsburgh Pirates are only home on the Sunday we arrive, July 27th hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks in what will most likely be an afternoon game.   After that they’re on the road, and frankly the other pro and college sports are not up and running as July ends and August begins.   But  —  if the NFL and the Steelers are a passion, visit the FedEx Great Hall in the Acrisure Stadium.   It’s as much a museum as anything else, with everything from the Steelers 6 Superbowl trophies on display to seats from the old Three Rivers Stadium, Steelers memorabilia and more.

Randomly thinking, as long as you are in the city, make Primanti Brothers restaurant a must stop  — preferably the original in a district called The Strip.   Bring an appetite; there is nothing quite like a Primanti Brothers sandwich.   (You might want to Google it before you go  —  scrumptious to be sure, but fine dining it ain’t!)

One thing they pride themselves on in Pittsburgh is sports history.  In 1960 Bill Mazeroski of the Pirates hit what remains the only walk-off, Game 7 World Series Championship-winning home run over the brick wall of the old Forbes Field.   That portion of the wall stands there still there today, complete with flag pole and the distance number.  Home plate is also still where it always was, preserved in the floor inside a law building of the university.

In nearby Aliquippa is the Pennsylvania Coin-Operated Gaming Hall & Museum  —  pinball you can play!

It’s well over an hour from the hotel to Fallingwater, the stunning architectural masterpiece of Frank Lloyd Wright.  If you have not been, and may not be back this way again, the time this would take will not be wasted!

And then there’s Pittsburgh itself, from Point State Park where the mighty Ohio River begins, to the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning, a gothic skyscraper with its International Rooms

Burghers seem to love fireworks.  On Friday evening in particular, you might be able to see 2, 3 4 or more decent fireworks displays….down at The Strip, up on Mt. Washington  (and ride one of the two incline railways!)  Of course, Friday night, you’ll be at the RMS Banquet…..

From the Heinz History Center, to the Big Mac Museum (yes, that Big Mac), to Kennywood Amusement Park, there’s just too much in this wonderful, western Pennsylvania neighborhood

Of course, your week of July 27th will be filled with too many old friends and hopefully, old matchcovers  —  on freebie tables or at auction.   My best advice is to (I have done this) go early or stay late and be a tourist.   However you play it, landing at Mars will not be a disappointment!